It is always extremely refreshing, when a lead character in a mystery series is not stupid. They may take chances and get in trouble, but the reader doesn't want them to just fall, trip or meander upon the solution. Oops - you mean the murderer was right under my nose? Yeah - stuff like that gives cozy mysteries a bad name sometimes.
But I think I have found one that keeps up the "high reader standard" for favorite characters. Meet Della Carmichael - a former English teacher who is trying to create a new career for herself in cooking, in the book Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells. She has started a cooking school, but now she has a chance to branch out further - on TV! She has a cable cooking show starting and she wants her first episode to be just right. Unfortunately having someone die on her set on live TV, wasn't what she had in mind.
What is LA's cop's widow to do? Especially when she thinks she is going to get accused of the murder? She has some police connections and know how. Now she has to figure out the murderer before her show gets cancelled! And a little romance doesn't hurt either.
Wells writes a nice tight mystery, and a great commonsensical character. According to her website, she is planning another in this series. If it is as good as this one - I will be excited to read it. A fun and frothy good time.
Flowers and bee
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Lori Foster's Fighting Men
I'm not into fighting and wrestling. At most, I'll watch a few rounds during the Olympics. But I've found out to my surprise that if Lori Foster writes about heroes who are ultimate fighters, I'm there. Who knew?!
Lori Foster writes excellent characters. Period. And her male characters are particularly engaging. In this series of three (they can be read independently), all of her heroes compete in the SBC (Supreme Battle Challenge) - a fictional fighting conference. I did not think I would like them quite frankly, but because she develops them so nicely - you kinda fall in love with the big lugs. She has done this before in her books. And I really think that is her writing "technique" - take interesting characters - in this case - some unusual situations (and more fighting terms than one can absorb), and mix it up, until these characters develop into someone you want to meet and definitely someone you want to root for.
Causing Havoc is the book that starts it all - with Dean "Havoc" Conor coming back to the family that he has been separated from since he was a small boy. He is not quite sure what to make of his new relationship with his grown-up sisters, but he really likes the look of his sister's sassy best friend, Eve.
Simon Says is the next book. Simon Evans is Dean's trainer and manager who is getting back in the ring. While training, he meets Dakota, a gal who knows a lot about fighting and who is not intimidated by walking into a gym of sweaty guys. She gives them some tips! But why is she there? She says she needs to find him - his real dad wants to meet him. He's not interested in his so called "father" who abandoned him - but he is interested in her.
Hard to Handle is Harley Handleman's book. Harley wants to challenge Simon, but he keeps getting injured. He is trying to take a break and re-focus on his fighting when he encounters Anastasia. When strange things start to happen and Harley decides to help her out, he has got to decide whether the distraction of a relationship is worth it.
After this group of books, I have decided that wherever Lori Foster wants to take you - I need to take a chance and follow her lead. If the main character is not your favorite, the secondary ones will keep you engaged. And I am always fond of romances that have a group of friends and family around the couple. (How many lovers do you know who have no one outside of themselves?) So come and read about Lori Foster's "village" of folks. Try it - you'll like it. A really fun read. I am looking forward to whatever she surprises us with next!
Lori Foster writes excellent characters. Period. And her male characters are particularly engaging. In this series of three (they can be read independently), all of her heroes compete in the SBC (Supreme Battle Challenge) - a fictional fighting conference. I did not think I would like them quite frankly, but because she develops them so nicely - you kinda fall in love with the big lugs. She has done this before in her books. And I really think that is her writing "technique" - take interesting characters - in this case - some unusual situations (and more fighting terms than one can absorb), and mix it up, until these characters develop into someone you want to meet and definitely someone you want to root for.
Causing Havoc is the book that starts it all - with Dean "Havoc" Conor coming back to the family that he has been separated from since he was a small boy. He is not quite sure what to make of his new relationship with his grown-up sisters, but he really likes the look of his sister's sassy best friend, Eve.
Simon Says is the next book. Simon Evans is Dean's trainer and manager who is getting back in the ring. While training, he meets Dakota, a gal who knows a lot about fighting and who is not intimidated by walking into a gym of sweaty guys. She gives them some tips! But why is she there? She says she needs to find him - his real dad wants to meet him. He's not interested in his so called "father" who abandoned him - but he is interested in her.
Hard to Handle is Harley Handleman's book. Harley wants to challenge Simon, but he keeps getting injured. He is trying to take a break and re-focus on his fighting when he encounters Anastasia. When strange things start to happen and Harley decides to help her out, he has got to decide whether the distraction of a relationship is worth it.
After this group of books, I have decided that wherever Lori Foster wants to take you - I need to take a chance and follow her lead. If the main character is not your favorite, the secondary ones will keep you engaged. And I am always fond of romances that have a group of friends and family around the couple. (How many lovers do you know who have no one outside of themselves?) So come and read about Lori Foster's "village" of folks. Try it - you'll like it. A really fun read. I am looking forward to whatever she surprises us with next!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Twenty Wishes
Debbie Macomber's latest book Twenty Wishes continues her Blossom Street Series. This time the lead character is book store owner, Anne Marie, who is recovering from her husband's death. She gathers together a group of friends who all happen to be widows, for a Valentine's party. After a few drinks and laughs, she comes up with the idea of making a list of twenty wishes - something to hope for and dream about - just like when you were kids. It is not necessarily a "to do" list, but a wish list. The other gals like the idea, and to Anne Marie's surprise, they start taking the idea seriously.
Some of the wishes are fairly simple like - wanting red cowboy boots. But some are harder for Anne Marie to put down on paper. She has been very unsure of herself since her husband died. Their relationship was not the best when it ended and she has been wrapped in her sorrows for a while. This list making is offering her a chance to leave her grief behind. As part of a wish, Anne Marie volunteers to work at a school as a lunch buddy, and becomes involved with the life of her new young friend, Ellen.
Macomber's characters are always interesting - but you wish you had more time with some of them. She starts out with four, and really only focuses on three of them. Perhaps another book? But she does a great job with plotting, and bringing unconventional twists to their lives. The women are all recovering from their losses, and it is interesting to see the individual perspectives on their former marriages, their twenty wishes and dreams for the future. A fun read. And a neat idea...hmmm - twenty wishes...
Some of the wishes are fairly simple like - wanting red cowboy boots. But some are harder for Anne Marie to put down on paper. She has been very unsure of herself since her husband died. Their relationship was not the best when it ended and she has been wrapped in her sorrows for a while. This list making is offering her a chance to leave her grief behind. As part of a wish, Anne Marie volunteers to work at a school as a lunch buddy, and becomes involved with the life of her new young friend, Ellen.
Macomber's characters are always interesting - but you wish you had more time with some of them. She starts out with four, and really only focuses on three of them. Perhaps another book? But she does a great job with plotting, and bringing unconventional twists to their lives. The women are all recovering from their losses, and it is interesting to see the individual perspectives on their former marriages, their twenty wishes and dreams for the future. A fun read. And a neat idea...hmmm - twenty wishes...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Third Circle
The Third Circle by Amanda Quick continues her Arcane Society books. In this one set in Victorian England, our heroine is Leona Hewitt who has psychic talents as a crystal worker. Our unconventional hero is Thaddeus Ware who is a very powerful psychic mesmerist. Their first meeting happens to be when both of them are in a house trying to investigate the owner's collection of psychic energy objects. She is looking for the crystal stolen from her family long ago. And so is he. He tries to outmaneuver her, and in the process finally finds someone who can resist his powers. This is the start of his interest in her.
When they realize it might be best to join forces against the bad guys, who also turn out to be members of the Arcane Society, they develop a partnership that may or may not last. Both are withholding information from each other, and both are wondering where this relationship is going to take them.
Quick does a great job with her heroes and Thaddeus is among them. She moves the Arcane story along - filling in the little bits and pieces that will lead it to the next book in the series. This could be read as a stand alone book, but the storyline will make you want to read the others, to catch up with the series. A very fun frothy read.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Comfort Food
Did you ever wonder about the lives of the people behind your favorite cooking shows? Does it look perfect on TV? But is it really? Or is it all just an illusion? Take a peek into the life of a cooking show host in Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs.
Augusta "Gus" Simpson is feeling a bit introspective about her life. She is going to turn 50, is going to renew her contract for another season of her cooking show and she is a bit worried about her grown daughters. She's used to being the organizer, the caretaker, but something has been missing lately. She keeps thinking about the old days when her husband was still alive, and those years she struggled after he died. But she really has a nice life - so she shouldn't complain.
But then the other shoe drops. Her network has decided her show might not be renewed, her staffers start leaving and she finds out that the network is not one big happy family. She is asked to revamp her show to get better ratings. They think her show needs some va-voom. And then they bring in a former Miss Spain - Carmen Vega- to liven things up. Gus needs to play nice to survive. But will the new "family" format work? Can cooking together save Gus' relationships with her daughters? Will Carmen keep stealing the best lines and the best ingredients? Will someone end up with a knife in their back?
Stay tuned for all that and more. A real fun beach read. Enjoy.
Augusta "Gus" Simpson is feeling a bit introspective about her life. She is going to turn 50, is going to renew her contract for another season of her cooking show and she is a bit worried about her grown daughters. She's used to being the organizer, the caretaker, but something has been missing lately. She keeps thinking about the old days when her husband was still alive, and those years she struggled after he died. But she really has a nice life - so she shouldn't complain.
But then the other shoe drops. Her network has decided her show might not be renewed, her staffers start leaving and she finds out that the network is not one big happy family. She is asked to revamp her show to get better ratings. They think her show needs some va-voom. And then they bring in a former Miss Spain - Carmen Vega- to liven things up. Gus needs to play nice to survive. But will the new "family" format work? Can cooking together save Gus' relationships with her daughters? Will Carmen keep stealing the best lines and the best ingredients? Will someone end up with a knife in their back?
Stay tuned for all that and more. A real fun beach read. Enjoy.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup
The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People by Susan Orleans is a excellent book to pick up and put down and pick up again. She explores the life of all sorts of interesting people. The book starts with an "average" boy - aged 10. And it is pretty funny how she devotes her time to hanging out with him and discovering what he is about. It ends with the female bullfighter performing her tasks.
Her subjects include, among others, an Ashanti king (an American one who gets elected), a small town newspaper reporter who almost writes all the articles in the paper, three Bulgarian tennis pro sisters, Maui surfer girls (which later became the basis for the movie Blue Crush), the Shaggs, and a man who has been selling fans his whole life.
Orleans, who is a regular contributor to the New Yorker, has a wonderful way of describing a person and bringing out the dignity in her subjects. It doesn't matter what social class or economic status they are. She manages to make them fascinating. Orleans is such a good author that I will read any of her works. With her talent, it is easy to follow her down what ever path she has taken this time. A very good read.
Her subjects include, among others, an Ashanti king (an American one who gets elected), a small town newspaper reporter who almost writes all the articles in the paper, three Bulgarian tennis pro sisters, Maui surfer girls (which later became the basis for the movie Blue Crush), the Shaggs, and a man who has been selling fans his whole life.
Orleans, who is a regular contributor to the New Yorker, has a wonderful way of describing a person and bringing out the dignity in her subjects. It doesn't matter what social class or economic status they are. She manages to make them fascinating. Orleans is such a good author that I will read any of her works. With her talent, it is easy to follow her down what ever path she has taken this time. A very good read.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Trouble in Spades
It's always nice to have a second book in a series continue the fun that is in the first one. Heather Webber's book Trouble in Spades continues the fun characters, the fast pacing and the craziness that is the life of lead character Nina Quinn. She's a landscaper who manages to dig up dead bodies. Separated from her cop husband, with her bridezilla of a sister breathing down her throat and a peeping tom in the neighborhood, she has more than enough to handle in this one.
And thank god the author has her characters moving on and making decisions! I have read too many lately that make the heroine wishy washy and indecisive. Not what we want from our brave sleuths.
A nice fun mystery with a decent twist.
And thank god the author has her characters moving on and making decisions! I have read too many lately that make the heroine wishy washy and indecisive. Not what we want from our brave sleuths.
A nice fun mystery with a decent twist.
Grace (Eventually)
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott is not your average book on spirituality. Her essays can take you all over the place. Whether it is discussing the pettiness we can bring into our lives, or how to grow older more gracefully, she brings a lightness of touch and a faith that is strong. It doesn't matter if you are not into organized religion, she tests us by showing us the frailness that is humanity. And how most people are decent and trying to bring good to their lives and their loved ones. Is she perfect? No. And she would be the first to admit it.
Are her essays thought provoking? Yes. And funny and sad. Sometimes both in the same piece. They are about worldly issues and the deeply personal. And how we all struggle in this world. Lamott's style is unique. Try her - you will like her. And then you will have read her other works. I promise. A very good read.
Are her essays thought provoking? Yes. And funny and sad. Sometimes both in the same piece. They are about worldly issues and the deeply personal. And how we all struggle in this world. Lamott's style is unique. Try her - you will like her. And then you will have read her other works. I promise. A very good read.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Omnivore's Dilemma
The saying is "you are what you eat." Well, apparently we, 21st century Americans, are just walking and talking bundles of corn. Corn and it's by-products are infused within a majority of the foods we consume. Oh, no you say - I stay away from high carb food. If you have consumed "citric and latic acid; glucose, fructose, malodextrin; ethanol (for alcoholic beverages as well as cars), sorbitol, mannitol, and xanthan gum, modified and unmodified starches; as well as dextrins and cyclodeztrins and MSG" you, my friend, have eaten an organic - but corn - compound. And you thought it was just corn syrup to blame!
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan brings to our attention the sprawl of the modern industrial food complex. And how it effects almost every aspect of the food we eat. Is it for the better? That is the question. The first section of the book is on corn and how it has been filtered through out lives. We eat it, feed it to our meat, drive with it, use it for other non-food (adhesives etc.) items. The ironic part of this - to get that corn, all that lovely corn, we need to use petrochemicals as fertilizer. And that is why food prices are going up with the recent rise in oil prices.
The next section is about a different kind of farm - self sustaining and more in tune with nature's cycles. Pollan spends some time seeing how this "non-industrial" farm makes it work. And in the last half of the book, he talks about forging - hunting in the woods for animals, and mushrooms.
Pollan is a writer who draws you in with his prose and practicality as he moves smoothly along from one section to the next. He definitely makes you think about your food choices. And that may bother some readers. Or be eye opening to them. But ignoring where it comes from is one of the problems. People have lost sight of how their food is made. Their health and the ecosystem are the ones that pay the cost. An excellent read.
Warning : It does have disturbing scenes of meat processing and killing animals. This may not be for everyone - but we watch thousands of people being murdered and dissected on CSI and other cop shows all the time - so why should this bother you?
Something to think about:
"The longer the ingredient label on a food, the more fractions of corn and soybeans you will find in it. They supply the essential building blocks, and from those two plants (plus a handful of synthetic additives) a food scientist can construct just about any processed food he or she can dream up."
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan brings to our attention the sprawl of the modern industrial food complex. And how it effects almost every aspect of the food we eat. Is it for the better? That is the question. The first section of the book is on corn and how it has been filtered through out lives. We eat it, feed it to our meat, drive with it, use it for other non-food (adhesives etc.) items. The ironic part of this - to get that corn, all that lovely corn, we need to use petrochemicals as fertilizer. And that is why food prices are going up with the recent rise in oil prices.
The next section is about a different kind of farm - self sustaining and more in tune with nature's cycles. Pollan spends some time seeing how this "non-industrial" farm makes it work. And in the last half of the book, he talks about forging - hunting in the woods for animals, and mushrooms.
Pollan is a writer who draws you in with his prose and practicality as he moves smoothly along from one section to the next. He definitely makes you think about your food choices. And that may bother some readers. Or be eye opening to them. But ignoring where it comes from is one of the problems. People have lost sight of how their food is made. Their health and the ecosystem are the ones that pay the cost. An excellent read.
Warning : It does have disturbing scenes of meat processing and killing animals. This may not be for everyone - but we watch thousands of people being murdered and dissected on CSI and other cop shows all the time - so why should this bother you?
Something to think about:
"The longer the ingredient label on a food, the more fractions of corn and soybeans you will find in it. They supply the essential building blocks, and from those two plants (plus a handful of synthetic additives) a food scientist can construct just about any processed food he or she can dream up."
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro
I usually do not write about a book that I have not finished. But I enjoyed what pieces of it I had read so much - I needed to record it.
Who is the last person you would expect to write a book on sports? This author is well-known in non-fiction circles for a certain type of book. True crime. What is a true crime author writing about sports? Especially soccer? European soccer? It is with the voice of the converted, that Joe McGinniss can write about about his newest passion - soccer. Italian soccer. In The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, McGinnis takes an in depth look at the small soccer team from the remote village. They had managed a "miracle". They had moved up in the rankings and leagues of Italy's soccer standings. (The explanation of the leagues - is very intense and detailed.) Yes - for their fans, it was an amazing year. But the true miracle will be if they can hang on to their new standings.
Being an in depth writer, McGinnis plunges into this small community and their local team. His experiences with the Italian way of doing things - slower, a bit convoluted, seemingly simple - allows the reader to experience his year of living in Italy following "his" team. He takes us through the struggles that a young team has with owners who never expected that they would have to spend more money on the team now that it has been successful - see the complicated Italian soccer rules and guidelines for that bit. He allows us to peak at the players and coach who are trying to maintain their rankings for the following year. They are not looking to be number one - they just want to remain in the new league!
McGinnis shows us their triumphs and tragedies (is there any other way?) in his new beloved sport. A great book for soccer fans, sports fans, and those wishing to explore the Italian immersion experience. A good read.
Who is the last person you would expect to write a book on sports? This author is well-known in non-fiction circles for a certain type of book. True crime. What is a true crime author writing about sports? Especially soccer? European soccer? It is with the voice of the converted, that Joe McGinniss can write about about his newest passion - soccer. Italian soccer. In The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, McGinnis takes an in depth look at the small soccer team from the remote village. They had managed a "miracle". They had moved up in the rankings and leagues of Italy's soccer standings. (The explanation of the leagues - is very intense and detailed.) Yes - for their fans, it was an amazing year. But the true miracle will be if they can hang on to their new standings.
Being an in depth writer, McGinnis plunges into this small community and their local team. His experiences with the Italian way of doing things - slower, a bit convoluted, seemingly simple - allows the reader to experience his year of living in Italy following "his" team. He takes us through the struggles that a young team has with owners who never expected that they would have to spend more money on the team now that it has been successful - see the complicated Italian soccer rules and guidelines for that bit. He allows us to peak at the players and coach who are trying to maintain their rankings for the following year. They are not looking to be number one - they just want to remain in the new league!
McGinnis shows us their triumphs and tragedies (is there any other way?) in his new beloved sport. A great book for soccer fans, sports fans, and those wishing to explore the Italian immersion experience. A good read.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig has a little bit of everything for the romance reader. A sassy heroine - Lacy who is still recovering from her divorce, but is leary to start dating - due to her family history - her mom and grandmom have been married and divorced over eight times. The hero, Chase, is a good guy, a police officer who is caught in a bad cop's web. He's currently on the run from an ambush from his corrupt partner. Lacy's dog catches him in her yard, and he needs to keep her quiet while he figures out what is going on.
So we have some excitement, a good getting to know you segment, cute annimals - she has three cats, too - some wacky friends and snappy dialogue to keep it all interesting. The best part is Craig writes some good thoughtful characters that you can like and enjoy. And she makes it work. A fun frothy read.
So we have some excitement, a good getting to know you segment, cute annimals - she has three cats, too - some wacky friends and snappy dialogue to keep it all interesting. The best part is Craig writes some good thoughtful characters that you can like and enjoy. And she makes it work. A fun frothy read.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Blue Jelly
Who writes essays about recovering from a relationship combined with canning recipes? Debbie Bell does, in her book Blue Jelly: Love Lost and the Lessons of Canning. And she manages to make it work in this small volume that makes one want to dig out the canning supplies from the basement.
Bell was a writer for Rolling Stone and other magazines. She found herself adrift after a bad relationship. During her recovery she started canning cause it was one thing - if you follow directions - "these steps take you to what you planned on. You become a person in a world in which things turn out the way you thought they would."
The book reminds me a little of Eat, Pray, Love - lots of weighty issues distilled with simple truths, but with a lot more humor and without all the pathos and angst. And some jelly recipes in between. Try it - it is a fast read (it is a tiny book!), but a very good one. I'm hoping we see some more of her writing.
Bell was a writer for Rolling Stone and other magazines. She found herself adrift after a bad relationship. During her recovery she started canning cause it was one thing - if you follow directions - "these steps take you to what you planned on. You become a person in a world in which things turn out the way you thought they would."
The book reminds me a little of Eat, Pray, Love - lots of weighty issues distilled with simple truths, but with a lot more humor and without all the pathos and angst. And some jelly recipes in between. Try it - it is a fast read (it is a tiny book!), but a very good one. I'm hoping we see some more of her writing.
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
Essays can be quite personal. In Sloane Crosley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake, we find out about her family, friends, and twenty-something life in New York City. It doesn't sound fascinating, but she does it with such a mixture of humor, irony and pathos, that you find the joy she does in the absurdities of modern society.
Some highlights: finding a surprise on your bathroom floor after a dinner party with friends, failing as a butterfly volunteer, surviving a crummy boss, trying out to be Mary in a summer camp pageant and how to survive being a bridesmaid. I would not advise giving that one to any current bride to be - they will find no humor in it - but I thought it was one of the funniest things I have read about weddings in a long time.
This is her debut book. I looking forward to many more. A very good read.
Some highlights: finding a surprise on your bathroom floor after a dinner party with friends, failing as a butterfly volunteer, surviving a crummy boss, trying out to be Mary in a summer camp pageant and how to survive being a bridesmaid. I would not advise giving that one to any current bride to be - they will find no humor in it - but I thought it was one of the funniest things I have read about weddings in a long time.
This is her debut book. I looking forward to many more. A very good read.
We're Just Like You, Only Prettier
Sometimes when you find a new author that seems to just click with your present sensibilities, you want to go out and just read everything they have written. I plead guilty. Having just discovered Celia Rivenbark (see previous post), I decided to read all her published works. I just finished up her first collection of humor essays entitled -Bless Your Heart, Tramp and then her follow up book - We're Just Like You, Only Prettier : Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle.
Once again, she runs the gamut from talking about children, husbands and being southern, female and everything in between. Definitely a giggle per minute. But I want more. Thank goodness she has a new one coming out this year. But until then, I will have pace myself with just a dabble from her newspaper column - it's not weekly, maybe biweekly - to keep the laughs coming. Thank god for RSS feeds. You can get to it via her website http://www.celiarivenbark.com/ .
A very funny read!
Once again, she runs the gamut from talking about children, husbands and being southern, female and everything in between. Definitely a giggle per minute. But I want more. Thank goodness she has a new one coming out this year. But until then, I will have pace myself with just a dabble from her newspaper column - it's not weekly, maybe biweekly - to keep the laughs coming. Thank god for RSS feeds. You can get to it via her website http://www.celiarivenbark.com/ .
A very funny read!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)